Moving constantly between multiple shelters and rescuing large numbers of survivors inevitably caused most people to develop a sense of admiration toward Ren Kuroda—a figure they now openly regarded as a "hero."
Although Ren himself felt embarrassed whenever people called him "The Redeemer," there was no denying that his prestige continued to rise without pause.
Because of the deadlock unfolding across many regions, the Non-Natural Countermeasures Division had originally planned to transfer Ren back to the front lines for direct combat duty.
However, after witnessing just how effective he was in rescue operations, they ultimately decided to assign him full responsibility for evacuating survivors throughout the Tokyo district.
And reality soon proved that decision absolutely correct.
Although the majority of yokai had already chosen to withdraw, many disaster-stricken towns still had wandering monsters that refused to leave.
When facing beings as unnatural as yokai, conventional military forces were largely powerless—bullets and artillery simply lacked sufficient lethality.
Even exorcists dispatched from above to carry out rescue missions didn't always succeed in saving people. In fact, there were plenty of cases where the exorcists themselves failed and never returned alive.
Under normal circumstances, if an exorcist managed to rescue a group of survivors within several days, that alone was considered a remarkable achievement.
But Ren Kuroda—the one known as "The Redeemer"—was a complete anomaly.
Not a single one of his rescue operations had ever failed.
And every time he brought survivors back, there were virtually no casualties at all.
His efficiency was downright terrifying. While other exorcists needed days to escort a group of survivors, Ren could do it in a single day—sometimes even twice in one day.
It wasn't because the shelters were far away.
There were plenty of shelters scattered throughout the region, and most towns had emergency facilities nearby.
The real reason other exorcists were slower was that, aside from evacuating survivors, they also had to protect them along the way.
Fighting yokai alone versus fighting while dragging along a group of exhausted civilians—the difference in difficulty was obvious.
It wasn't that they didn't want to move faster. It was simply that extreme caution was the only way to increase survival odds.
Ren, however, didn't share that concern.
The yokai that had enough sense to retreat were those with power and backing. The ones still lingering in towns were mostly D-rank to C-rank at best.
A C-rank yokai might pose some trouble for ordinary exorcists—but for Ren, it was nothing more than a casual swing of his blade.
No matter how many survivors he escorted, any yokai with ill intentions would be sensed in advance and cut down before they could even get close.
This was precisely why Ren held such an elevated status among the people of the Tokyo district.
As for why the soldiers stationed at shelters were equally devoted to him—part of it was simply because Ren saved more people than anyone else.
But another major reason was that Ren didn't just rescue survivors.
He had saved shelters themselves.
Surely no one believed shelters were immune to yokai attacks.
So-called "shelters" were merely emergency facilities. Compared to hiding in devastated towns, they offered better protection thanks to armed forces—but they weren't invincible.
And yokai weren't stupid.
They knew shelters housed the highest concentration of humans.
Those confident in their strength had no interest in scavenging scraps alongside weaker yokai. If they were going to eat, they wanted a feast.
With the world fundamentally transformed, conflict wasn't limited to humans versus yokai.
Even among yokai, unity was nonexistent.
The rise of a new era was inevitable—one where yokai would carve out their own place in the world.
And no yokai wanted to be born only to kneel beneath others.
To secure a higher status in the new world, they needed power.
There were many ways to grow stronger—but the fastest was devouring humans.
Especially after the earlier celestial anomalies, massive amounts of spiritual energy had seeped into human bodies. While ordinary people couldn't utilize it, that energy still lingered within them.
To yokai, modern humans were nothing less than supreme elixirs.
Shelters were packed with prey. If a yokai could successfully wipe out a shelter and devour everyone inside, becoming a regional Yokai King would no longer be a dream.
Because most survivors congregated in shelters, the authorities stationed capable exorcists at each one.
But that didn't mean every attack could be repelled.
Typically, each shelter was assigned three exorcists with spiritual power rated at C+.
Objectively speaking, C+ was already quite formidable.
After all, even Ren's own spiritual power only measured at C−.
Even Yamato Kuuka—once regarded as a trump card by the Non-Natural Countermeasures Division—only possessed C+ spiritual power.
Of course, Kuuka's true combat strength far exceeded her stats thanks to her swordsmanship and the cursed blade Onikiri, making her the same type as Ren—fighters whose actual power surpassed surface measurements.
Three C+ exorcists were more than enough to handle the lingering D- to C-rank yokai.
But accidents were inevitable.
During one yokai assault, a monster of B-rank appeared among the attackers.
Even Yamato Kuuka—whose terrifying talent allowed her to fight above her rank—could only barely hold her ground against a B− rank Futakuchi-onna.
Now faced with a full B-rank yokai, the three C+ exorcists—none of whom were Kuuka—stood no chance.
In a single exchange, two of them were gravely injured.
Just as the commanding officer of the shelter descended into despair, believing the situation hopeless—
Ren Kuroda arrived, escorting a group of survivors.
The officer was overjoyed at the sight of him.
With Ren's reputation, surely—with him plus the remaining exorcists—they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
But when the officer picked up the phone to report the emergency and request aid, what happened next left him utterly stunned.
The B-rank yokai—whose strength rivaled the heads of major exorcist families—was cut down in just a few strikes by the少年 standing before them.
Every soldier and officer present at that shelter would remember that scene for the rest of their lives.
Ren calmly drew the long blade at his waist.
The first strike split the earth, completely dissolving the yokai's attack.
The second tore through the air, instantly stripping the monster—one that three C+ exorcists couldn't budge—of its ability to resist.
As for the third strike—
By the time anyone realized what had happened, the B-rank yokai—already over a hundred meters away—had lost its head.
The officer froze mid-motion, phone suspended in the air.
The call had connected—but he no longer knew what to say.
He'd thought Ren might help them endure until reinforcements arrived.
But who could've imagined that Ren's power was this monstrous?
A B-rank yokai—slain effortlessly, as though it were nothing.
Before this, many at the shelter believed Ren was simply a gifted young man—his age made that assumption natural.
After witnessing that battle, no one dared view him that way again.
This wasn't an unpolished young tiger—
This was a primeval tyrannosaurus in its prime.
As a result, Ren's reputation in the Tokyo district soared once again.
Casually slaying a B-rank yokai delivered a shock no less intense than a global celebrity winning a world-class award.
The world had changed—and with it, the ideals people worshipped.
Ren possessed overwhelming power at such a young age, had striking looks, and embodied every trait of a modern superhero.
Avoiding idolization was practically impossible.
His human prestige continued to rise daily—though most of it was immediately spent on Yokai Aura Talismans and Low-Grade Yokai Power Crystals.
Ren didn't even know exactly how much prestige he'd gained.
All he knew was that his human prestige title had long since surpassed "Somewhat Famous Exorcist."
It had even overtaken his yokai prestige title—
Now reading: "Well-Known Exorcist."
Although Low-Grade Yokai Power Crystals no longer provided dramatic boosts at B+ rank, sheer quantity still worked.
Eventually, both Ren and Spider Princess advanced to A− rank.
As for reaching full A rank, Ren estimated it would take a very long time.
The crystals still worked—but their effects were noticeably weaker.
Reaching A rank clearly wasn't something that could be rushed.
Given Ren's rescue pace, the Tokyo district wasn't that large to begin with.
Before long, he realized—
He'd rescued nearly every survivor there was.
But he still needed a massive amount of prestige to reach A rank.
Once rescue operations slowed, Ren's prestige income dropped sharply.
It was still increasing—but at a crawl compared to before.
With S+ rank yokai already appearing, Ren couldn't shake the feeling that—
With his current strength…
He was still far from safe.